The Means to This End
by melody of elemia
Summary: What if Kallen and Suzaku spent their years in school together? Would it give a reason as to why she harbors so much hate towards him?


**AN**: Well this is the first time I've written a fan fic in this tone. Also this was off of a random conversation I had with an RP friend. We RP Kallen and Suzaku respectively and I decided to write this. I hope you enjoy it.

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Before she leaves, she's hugging her mother and soon after, waving goodbye. Her brother takes her hand and she smiles brightly. Before heading to school himself, he drops off his younger sister to kindergarten. Hugs and kisses and then he is off to learn while she waves goodbye.

And it's like this every Monday through Saturday.

Kallen Stadtfelt, a normal school girl who is almost inseparable from her brother, Naoto, a high school boy who takes care of his younger sister.

She meets a boy in the first grade. He has brown hair and green eyes and is kind of small and skinny looking. He seems smart and carries himself well. But he seems like an outcast because he is Japanese. Well what he does is none of her concern, until the teacher pairs them together, them being the top of their class. Okay, well that's fine… the other kids were boring her anyway. Time to make nice with the outcast, no big deal.

"A new friend?" Asks Naoto who watches Kallen wave goodbye to the boy.

"I think so." She wasn't all that sure herself. The other kids surround her because she is smart, rich, and Britannian.

"I hope you two will get along."

"Hmn! He's Japanese, so I think we can." An ever so innocent response comes from her.

Second grade, Suzaku talks of big dreams and world peace. She too hopes for the same thing. After all, that's what Naoto fights for. She really doesn't get it, but she knew her brother was going to be a hero! That's all that is important to the young girl. She finds herself identifying with the young boy's dream, secretly supporting him.

Naoto again picks her up from school. This time, both wave goodbye to Suzaku.

"You two seem to have become close. I hope he doesn't replace me." A joke, but she takes it seriously.

"Uh nuh, no one can ever replace you."

Hand and hand, the brother and sister walk home. The same old routine they were never bored of.

Change. Sometimes it's for better and others, for worse.

A fateful day in the third grade, something's off. Naoto doesn't come to pick her up like always. Her mother comes into the main office, crying, upset, and calling for her daughter. And when she hugs Kallen tight, it only serves to confuse her.

Naoto dies during his time in the resistance only with his last year of high school to complete.

She's devastated. Who would come to pick her up now? Read her bedtime stories? Be… her hero? She doesn't attend school for the rest of the year, but is able to advance to the next year for having less than one-third of the year of missed absences.

Suzaku's worried. He had finally made a friend at school. Now he has no one, but that wouldn't have him to give up. He wanted to see her, comfort her.

Fourth grade comes around and she returns. Suzaku's happy and comes to approach her but Kallen gives him the cold shoulder. The boy is left highly confused. Everyone wants to comfort her and she's sick of it. Naoto's friend, Ohgi tries to be a big brother to her, but she pushes him away. Her mother uses refrain to live in the past and she hates it. Her father is too busy to even care. Her stepmother comforts her, but she doesn't want it. She knows that woman can't understand the burden on her heart.

But Suzaku doesn't give up. He wants to be there for her. The more he tries, the more she becomes frustrated and soon, she takes up insulting him. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism, but she doesn't want to be bothered by him or anyone.

During their time in the fifth grade, she takes up bullying the young boy. She beats him up for his lunch money, hangs his underwear from the flagpole. The school doesn't kick her out though. With her Britannian father's money that supports the school, they have no choice but to keep her. Not to mention that her grades were still top of the class.

Suzaku stands proud and talks about his painting.

"I painted a rainbow and a puppy because I think the world should be a beautiful place."

He smiles and looks towards the girl's way.

"That's stupid. The world is ugly and so are you and your ideals."

In the rise of the sixth grade, people start to talk. And soon enough, rumors arise. Kallen beats on Suzaku because she likes him. They both deny it but no one believes them. It isn't until Kallen fights the whole entire class that the rumors cease to exist.

"If I beat up everyone, that means I like you too Iright/I?"

Kallen has hopes that during her entry exam for middle school, she would be ridding herself of Suzaku. He was annoying, stupid, unnecessarily cheerful, weak, and just overall frustrating to be around. But that outlook fails as he winds up going to the same school, not to mention the same class. The young girl scowls at this.

Ending her first year of her middle school career, Kallen's determined. She's going to become like her brother, join the rebellion, but Ohgi tells her that she can't, not to mention she's way too young. She was only thirteen after all. But it doesn't matter; she felt she was destined to carry out her brother's dream.

"Wait for me brother. I'll avenge you and live your dream. We will win. We will crush Britannia because I'm Japanese, just like you."

Second year of middle school she becomes a rebel. She keeps to herself. Everyone knows to stay away from her except Suzaku. He believed that she was his friend and no matter how she changed, he wasn't going to let go. All Suzaku wants for her to respect him. Perhaps he wants her to look at him. But he never gets the chance to express how he feels. It was bad to hit girls so he never fights back. For all those years, he allows her to beat on him. After her brother's passing, he thinks she needs some sort of release. So it was okay because he rationalizes it. But suddenly he's transferred out. Finally, some peace and quiet, she thinks. He won't forget her though, hoping they would meet again.

Final year of middle school, things quiet down. She's a bit on the aggressive side, but her attitude has softened. She's not back to how she was before her brother's death, but it was close enough. A couple rumors here and there that she beat up an entire class. A simple glare would squelch them, and that was good enough for her.

She takes the entrance exam even though she doesn't have to. Ashford Academy. Only the top Britannians would attend. High school. It wasn't all that important. Joining the rebellion was. Ohgi sees Kallen determination and decides to let her join. He would be damned if he let anything happen to her. Naoto wouldn't forgive him after all.

Kallen's almost flunks out of the first year because of lack of attendance, but that's fine. Fighting against Britannia was important. But her father won't stand for it though. She would have to attend school no matter what. Fine. She decides to act sickly to cover up her absences when she tries her hand at the second year.

Second year of high school and she's fighting with the resistance while she attends classes. Like before, the students gather around her because of her intelligence, not to mention the idle compassion because she's 'sickly'. If they fall for the act, that's fine. She gets a kick out of it anyway. But there's a pest and his name is Lelouch. Mr. Big Shot know it all and that calculating demeanor. But that all soon fades when she meets Zero and the Black Knights' birth.

Fighting, killing, determination for a world that and her biological mother to live, and another familiar face. IGreat/I, he was back. And wasn't he Japanese? So much for his world peace speech when he betrayed his own kind. It makes her remember the days of schooling and how much it aggravates her: his voice, his ideals, just everything.

Another familiar face pops up and it merges with one with trust. Lelouch is Zero. It hurts. It hurts so much. She hates Lelouch but trusts Zero. It's the second time in her life she closes herself off from the world; once now and before, Naoto's death.

That third year comes around and she doesn't even show up. The Black Knights and Britannia seem to be in a war of sorts. She fights, sleeps little, but it's okay. All her efforts are for the greater good.

The faces of Lelouch and Zero start merging while the hatred for Suzaku keeps growing. What she wouldn't give to wring his neck like she should have done years ago. They fight and she wins. Finally it's over and done and there's no more Suzaku. The harbored hate can go to rest now. But Lelouch's death becomes unexpected. Now her mix of love and hate for Lelouch was dead as well and by Zero's hands no less. Their war is won and now there's an alliance between Japan and Britannia.

She finally is able to go to high school properly and now the world is a safe place for her mother to live in. Success. It was a nice, sweet feeling. But still she feels there was more she could do. Zero is a symbol, something she prides herself in, perhaps respects. There was something more that can be done.

Kallen doesn't take the entrance exam for college but speaks to Ohgi instead. She wants to become Zero's ace, his queen, again. Not that she would have to fight, but she knows how to if someone comes after his life. Ohgi thinks this is a good idea and allows it. She knows Lelouch is dead and not Zero, so knowing the face of the new Zero was not important. She still respects the symbol and believes she wants to protect it.

As she kneels before him, a confident, almost cocky smile comes from behind the mask. Little did she know that Suzaku had been told to 'live on' and now, finally receives the respect he had wished from Kallen all these years.


End file.
